Mullaney to head state breeding fund

SARATOGA SPRINGS -- Mike Mullaney, a former Saratogian newspaper reporter, has been named executive director of the New York Sire Stakes program and the state's standardbred breeding fund.

Mullaney, of Saratoga Springs, will also oversee the administration of the Excelsior, State Fair and County Fair harness races.

In addition, he will coordinate the fund's distribution of money to county agricultural societies and contributions to New York's 4-H program and the Harry M. Zweig Fund for Equine Research.

"The fund plays a vital role in supporting New York's agricultural economy, and I am eager to do my part to help our breeding program grow even further," Mullaney said.

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Prior to his appointment, Mullaney was most recently general manager of Arizona's Yavapai County Farm & Agriculture Association from 2011 to 2012. Prior to that, he was director of media relations for Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Fla., for 10 years.

Mullaney was also an editor for The Daily Racing Form and later deputy managing editor for Secaucus, N.J.-based Travel Weekly.

The Agriculture & New York State Horse Breeding Development Fund administers the New York Sire Stakes, the nation's oldest harness racing program of its kind.

Established in 1965, the fund receives money from the mutuel handle at licensed tracks across the state and uses this money to provide purse money for New York harness racing.